A Small Victory

A small victory against the relentless march of the state regulators and licensors

Eyebrow threading to remove facial hair, a practice which has ancient roots in Eastern countries such as India and Iran, is gaining popularity around the country.

And threaders can now operate freely in the state without a cosmetology license after an October court settlement determined that the Arizona Board of Cosmetology would no longer regulate the trade.

The consent judgment resulted from a lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court by five threaders, including Gutierrez.

The threaders argued that the Board of Cosmetology was merely trying to help more traditional hair removal outfits remove a source of low-cost competition.  The threaders were represented by the IJ, who do great work for economic liberty

8 Comments

  1. el coronado:

    My God!! What about The Children?!?

  2. Johnathan:

    It would seem like eyebrow threaders are far from the front in fighting to eradicate state intrusion into our lives, but these "small victories" are quite powerful in getting the message out in front of people in a way that is easily identified with.

    This was a very simple and clear example of a state regulatory agency existing not to "protect" consumers (the propaganda) but to protect established business from competition (the reality).

  3. Daublin:

    My favorite part:

    "Licensing requirements can range from around $600 to $1,600 in coursework, and the training doesn't teach eyebrow threading specifically."

  4. Roy:

    When do we hear OWS cheering for this sort of victory, where gov't power enables one group to collect by excluding other groups (aka corruption)? The silence deafens.

  5. caseyboy:

    At least I'll know I will be able to get my eyebrows threaded on my next visit to Tucson. I was a little concerned about that.

  6. IGotBupkis, Paranomasty Specialist, Level 12:

    Sounds like the settlement hearing got a bit hairy...

  7. steve:

    It figures. Something improves with regard to freedom, and I don't even know what it is.

  8. Sameer Parekh:

    isn't there a related case that ij is working on related to hair braiding?